


Love Ain't a Thing

by seventeenspimp (pliable_cedar)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Real World, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, a lot of conversation about love, theyre just interns at a record company
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 08:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8660455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pliable_cedar/pseuds/seventeenspimp
Summary: Junhui teaches Jihoon a thing or two about love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is largely something I wrote to sort out my own thoughts, and it turns out that junhoon is my favourite pairing to project onto, so now we have this. I actually kinda like it and I hope you do too. :) 
> 
> Comments and feedback are always welcome and encouraged!! You can also send requests to seventeenspimp.tumblr.com, or hmu on my personal (which is mostly fandom anyway) at helianthical.tumblr.com

When Jihoon scored an internship at one of the biggest record companies in Seoul fresh out of uni, he suddenly felt like he was turning over a new leaf; like his life was _finally_ getting started for real. So, he decided for the first time since middle school that he wasn’t entirely opposed to making some acquaintances or even friends along the way, since he figured he would be meeting people he actually has things in common with now. It’s because of this that he found himself in the break room one morning during his first week, making coffee and listening to the conversation between the other interns.

“I don’t know, man, I always figured it’s like what you always hear about love?” someone says, and Jihoon remembers him as Soonyoung, one of the few people he’s met there already. “Maybe not the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing, but you have, like, a soulmate, you fall in love with them and then it’s happily ever after.”

Jihoon turns around with his cup of coffee, finally catching a glimpse of the three guys sitting at the small table. The brown haired one sitting next to Soonyoung mutters, “Don’t you two think it’s too fucking early for this?” He looks torn between wanting to drown the others in their coffee and just drowning himself, and Jihoon feels he can really relate.

“Oh don’t mind Haohao, he’s never been much of a morning person,” the third one placates, ruffling Haohao’s hair and earning a displeased grunt in response, “He just needs to get some coffee in him.” The blond haired guy just grins an extremely blinding grin and pushes his friend’s coffee back towards him encouragingly. Haohao(which Jihoon is sure is not the guy’s real name) narrows his eyes at the blond but continues drinking his coffee without protest. “Anyway, in my opinion, love is simpler than that and relationships...are a little more complicated,” he says in response to Soonyoung’s statement, and the answer is so enigmatic that it catches Jihoon off guard. He’s caught up trying to figure out what the blond meant and hoping he would explain further, so he doesn’t realise that the attention of the others has turned to him.

“Jihoon?” Soonyoung is the one who calls.

“Huh, yea?” he manages

“You’re in a serious relationship, right? What’s your take on it?” Their eyes are trained on him, even Haohao looks mildly interested to hear his views.

“Oh, um...,” he pauses to think of an answer, but instead he directs his gaze keenly to the blond and asks, “What did you mean by what you said? About love being simple and relationships being complicated?” Soonyoung looks disappointed for only a moment before eagerly turning to hear the other explain himself. The blond, however, is looking straight at Jihoon with a genuine smile on his lips but a playful glint in his eye, as if to say _I’m glad you asked!_

“Well,” he starts, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table, “Loving someone isn’t really a feeling or an emotion, it’s more like a behaviour. How you act towards them, how you treat them. Simple.” He says this like it’s the most basic thing in the world, and Jihoon can tell that Soonyoung is having his mind blown. Jihoon himself waits for the rest, still undeniably intrigued. “And, as far as I see it, you can love anyone, but being in a relationship with someone is about so much more than love. Relationships are about having similar interests and values and beliefs, and being able to build each other and work together and help each other grow and just, if you can share your life with them, the fun bits and the boring ones.” He speaks animatedly, gesturing with his hands, and Jihoon can tell he’s really thought about what he’s saying, and he definitely believes it. “Love is really important in a relationship, don’t get me wrong, but just because you love someone doesn’t always mean that you should be in a relationship with them, you know?”

There’s a moment of silence for it to sink in before Soonyoung mutters, “Holy shit, Jun.” Jihoon definitely relates.

“Yea, dude, woah. When did you get so wise?” Haohao adds in astonishment and awe.

The blond, _Jun_ , looks sheepish for a moment before he’s grinning wildly again. “You don’t have to sound so shocked,” he feigns offense, then turns his gaze to Jihoon. “Does that answer your question?”

Jihoon, who is still dazed and processing Jun’s rant, quickly collects himself in order to reply. “Yea, it makes sense,” Jihoon tries to sound nonchalant, as though his entire view of love and relationships _hadn’t_ just been destroyed and rebuilt again by someone whose name he just learnt. He swallows. “I think what you’re saying is pretty much true, too.” Jun beams at him, and Soonyoung just nods.

The conversation drifts to small talk after that, and they don’t even have much of that before they have to get to work. Soonyoung officially introduces them to Jihoon as Junhui and Minghao, and when they decide to meet up for lunch later, Jihoon genuinely finds himself looking forward to it. That week, Jihoon breaks up with his boyfriend of six months and it’s hard but he knows it’s the right thing to do. However, it doesn’t stop his heart from breaking as the boy’s face is screwed up in pain, tears running down his cheeks as sobs shake him and he pleads _“How could you do this? I thought you loved me!”_ He wants to tell him that he _does_ love him, but Jihoon knows he wouldn’t understand.

 

~

 

In the weeks that followed, Jihoon found himself sticking close by Junhui as much as possible, in the hopes that he could get him to continue their conversation from before. Of course, somewhere along the way, he finds that they become friends. One day Jihoon is silently and attentively sitting in on a recording session with one of the label's up and coming solo artists, when Junhui sneaks in and takes the empty seat next to him.

“I brought coffee,” Jun murmurs, handing over the cup without looking at Jihoon, and he accepts it without a response. They remain that way for a few minutes, sipping their coffees without speaking, raptly watching and listening to the recording going on. It’s the type of song Jihoon would have been crazy for a month ago, a simple love song with words like poetry, but Jun’s words swim around in his head until he’s not sure what he can believe about love anymore. He glances over at Jun’s face, features dulled in the dim light, and he realises he has the chance now to ask his questions.

However, Jun speaks up before he can. “I really do love her voice, but I feel like the song isn’t doing her justice? Like there’s isn’t enough soul in it...” he turns and sees the puzzled look on Jihoon’s face and adds, “But you know, I’m just a marketing guy.” He grins confidently, his eyes now fixed on Jihoon, “What about you Mr. Producer? What do you think?”

“Love isn’t a feeling...” is what Jihoon manages to say under Jun’s almost probing gaze, but he thinks it’s an answer to the question anyway.

“Hmm?” Jun tilts his head in confusion and his smile falls, but Jihoon can tell that he’s piqued his interest.

Jihoon swallows and sits up a little straighter. “You said love isn’t a feeling or an emotion...um, a while back you said it,” he tries hard to sound coherent, but Junhui already knows Jihoon isn’t the best at talking.

“Oh, yea,” Jun’s lips quirk a little at the memory, “Yea, feelings are things that change depending on the person and the situation, you know? They’re sensations, experiences, they don’t last.”

Jun gives him a questioning look, wanting to know if Jihoon understands what he’s saying and inviting the other questions he knows his friend has. Jihoon tries not to look perturbed as he proceeds, “So...I guess it stands, if love isn’t a feeling, then what is it?”

Jun pauses to think before he answers, “It’s more like an attitude, or an action.”

“A behaviour?” Jihoon prompts and Jun’s eyes light up like he’s forgotten those were his own words.

“Yes! Either way, it’s something you have to actively _do,_ I guess? And I definitely think you yourself have to choose to do it.” Jun furrows his eyebrows and his expression becomes doubtful. “Am I making any sense?”

Jihoon nods fervently, eager to assure Junhui and continue the conversation. “Absolutely!” he says, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, but he’s having a hard time hiding his interest in the topic at hand. He tells himself it’s because it’ll help him with his song writing. “How would you say one _does_ love then?”

Jun grins again, and it comforts Jihoon that Jun seems just as happy to be having this conversation as he is. “Have you ever heard anyone say ‘love is patient, love is kind’?” Jihoon must give him an odd look because Jun laughs and shakes his head. “Wait, hear me out! The way I see it, it’s made up of all those little things. If you love someone, you’ll be kind to them, you’ll be patient with them,” he starts, counting on his fingers as he lists them off. “You’ll tell them the truth, you’ll forgive them when they fuck up, you’ll put them before yourself, those kinds of things. It’s more about what you do than how you feel...” he trails off, and Jihoon knows he has a million other things he could say, because so does Jihoon. He looks at Jun as he stares at nothing, deep in thought, before he sits back in his chair.

“I’ve never heard anybody talk about love like that before, but now it seems like this is the only version that actually makes total sense,” Jihoon says in a tone that can only be described as awestruck.

Jun doesn’t look at him, but he lowers his voice, giving Jihoon the impression that his next words were a bit more personal than before. “I actually read the actual thing in the bible once – did you know it’s from the bible? Anyway, I really liked the part that said love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and it never ends. I used to think of love as a feeling, like most people I guess, but it seemed so fleeting, so temporary, and that terrified me. People growing apart, marriages ending just because the love had gone away. But seeing it as an action...as a choice? Having it be so straightforward is comforting, you know? It seems more solid, like something you can really rely on.” Jihoon only hummed in response, both of them looking down at their coffee cups, and he found that he agreed more than he had expected he would.

They both remain lost in their thoughts for a while, until Jihoon takes the last sip of his drink, now fully cold, and breaks the silence between them. “Thanks for the coffee, by the way,” he finally offers, and Junhui softly smiles.

“Jihoon, would you want to maybe get dinner sometime?” Jun suggests nonchalantly.

“Like a date?” Jihoon questions.

“Yea, like a date,” is the response.

“Yea, okay. I’d like that.” Jihoon tries to hide his smile against the lip of his empty cup.

 

~

 

As things tend to go, one date turned into two and three, which turned into _dating_ and Junhui started calling Jihoon his boyfriend, which Jihoon found he didn’t mind. As people tend to be in relationships, Jihoon was happy. Junhui was hot, which was great, and he never neglected to assure Jihoon that he was as well; Junhui was funny and cute and intelligent and sexy and a good cook, and pretty much perfect in every way. As he had always figured, they had great chemistry, and everything Junhui had to say was the most interesting thing in the world. Jihoon loved being in a relationship because things were good, but this time he knew things were good for a different reason than the times before, and he probably had Junhui’s earth shifting views about love to thank for that.

Truthfully, he couldn’t stop thinking about all the things he’d learnt during their conversations, because he could see it every day. He could see that Junhui did all in his power to be patient with Jihoon, even when they were both stressed beyond belief, his words gentle and unassuming. He went out of his way to make Jihoon comfortable and happy, making sure he felt validated and encouraged. And because of it, Jihoon could sense himself doing the same. He had never felt like he had such an active role in a relationship before, trying to take care of Jun and put him before himself, _doing_ instead of _being,_ and it made him happier than he’d ever been before.

All these thoughts had been playing in his head on repeat for days now, what was probably three months into their relationship, and now was no exception. As he sits on his couch with Jun’s head in his lap, and his fingers running through his boyfriend’s hair, he finds that a new idea emerges from among the others. He's never felt like this before: no person, no relationship had ever inspired this in him, and he had a feeling that this was something special.

“How do you know when you’ve found true love?” Jihoon blurts, snatching Jun’s attention away from the TV. Jihoon’s cheeks are burning, it’s obvious he’s talking about Jun, but he can’t think of a better person to ask that question anyway.

Jun chuckles and turns to look up at Jihoon. “What a question...” he trails off and his expression turns thoughtful. What Jihoon doesn’t expect is for him to launch into a story. “A while ago, maybe two or three years, I started seeing this girl,” he starts, staring at the ceiling. “Well, I mean, I’d liked her for ages and we were friends even before that, so finally dating her was like winning the lottery. And things were so good, oh my god, I never thought I’d find someone who I trusted and admired so much, and everything she did made me like her even more. I started thinking to myself _what if this girl is it_ , you know, _what if she’s the one_.” Jihoon swallows, anxious to see where he's going. “I was asking all my friends, _how do you know when you’re in love?_ I’d never felt it before, so I wouldn’t know, and a lot of people didn’t either. It was a lot of _it’s different for everyone_ and _you’ll just know._ But as everyday passed, I couldn’t help but think _this_ has _to be true love, it can’t be anything else_.” Jun sighs and sits up, finally looking into Jihoon’s eyes. “It wasn’t until a conversation with my parents, right after things ended with the girl, that I realised I knew fuck all about love.”

Jihoon raises his eyebrows, “And that’s when you began your lifelong journey to unveil the age old secrets of true love itself?”

Jun laughs and shakes his head, grabbing up Jihoon’s hands in his own. “The way I see it, all love is the same. Remember when we talked about love being how you act towards people?” Jihoon nods; he couldn’t possibly forget. “Well, that’s the same way you love everyone, whether they’re your family, your friend or your lover. So, either all love is true love, or it all isn’t.”

Jihoon huffs, “Where do you get all this wisdom from? You make it sound like the simplest thing in the world!”

Jun just grins and tugs on Jihoon’s hands, “That’s because it _is_ the simplest things in the world, Jihoonie. People make such a big deal about it, whether or not they’re in love, whether or not someone loves them, whether or not it’s too soon or too serious to say you love someone.” He pulls Jihoon until the smaller boy is almost in his lap. “I love you, Jihoon,” he says, almost laughing.

Jihoon smiles and looks at him as though he’s being ridiculous, “I love you, too.”

“I know you do,” he replies, and his grin hasn’t faltered yet. “Because you treat me like you love me.” And Jihoon can’t not kiss him.

A little later that night, when they’re cuddled in Jihoon’s bed, teetering on the edge of sleep, Jihoon decides he has one last question. He lifts his head from Jun’s chest so he can look at him and asks, “If all love is the same, how do you know who you date or who you, like, marry?”

Jun hums, eyes closed. “I guess you just, choose someone you like enough to spend your life with. And you keep choosing them every chance you get.”

Jun tilts his head and cracks an eye open in Jihoon’s direction, and Jihoon thinks he probably already knows what Jihoon is going to say next. “Well, then I think I’m gonna keep choosing you.” He cringes at the corniness of his own words but Jun’s lips just turn up into a small smile.

“I can’t wait to see you prove it,” he challenges, and Jihoon knows Jun chooses him too.


End file.
